Friday, May 23, 2008

Visitin'

Our friend Ms Heather invited us out to visit her in her new home yesterday. The kids pretty much adore Ms Heather, and she now ranks even higher on their list. It was the chocolate chip muffins, I think. Or the gigantic box that she had kept for them to play in, complete with windows, doors, and shutters!

The kids colored and stumbled around in the box while Heather and I chatted, me wrapped in a blanket because she is very pregnant and likes to use her air conditioner. After a bit, the kids started getting restless and we opted to go for a walk. We used the secret trail to cut back to the Grandparents house, where the kids discovered swings and a tire swing. They drifted back and forth through the air for quite some time before our outing continued.

The next stop was the Parents house, where they had baby guinea fowl! 50 little chicks, to be exact. Thomas and Sarah Grace and Elizabeth all had great fun poking their heads into the cage and watching as the chicks ran from one end to the other. They laughed when Ms Heather reached in and pulled a couple out, and Thomas decided he was brave enough to hold one!

Not to be outdone, Gracie decided to give it a try, but was quickly deterred by the little birds flapping wings. Good thing for that bird Sarah Grace is so small, or that could have been a long fall.

Elizabeth was quite content to stick her finger out and pet them or poke at their beaks or in their eyes. She laughed and squealed and poked some more.

After we had our fill of playing with the chicks, we started back towards Ms Heather's house, but managed to get sidetracked at the pond. The paddle boat was freshly cleaned (thanks, Ms Heather!) and the kids thought a paddle boat ride sounded good.

Let me just insert that the things mothers do for their children never cease to amaze me. I was the motor. Not, in fact, a life-long aspiration of mine. But my children were looking forward to a boat ride. So I paddled. I couldn't very well ask the very pregnant Ms Heather to do it, now could I?

It was a fun day. The kids enjoyed themselves and are still chattering about the different things that they got to do. And plotting how to get back to Ms Heather's again...today, if possible. They want more chocolate chip muffins. Thanks, friend, for hostessing so graciously! We enjoyed it so much!